After hearing out spiritual leaders, King Charles is reportedly open to a ‘truce’ with his estranged son Prince Harry.
The father and son’s bond fractured after Harry and his wife Meghan quit royal duties in 2020 for a new life in California, with the Duke of Sussex then railing against his family in his Netflix series and controversial memoir, Spare. However the King is now allegedly relying on his strong faith to help the pair overcome their struggles.
The Mail on Sunday claims the monarch has drawn comfort from the guidance of religious leaders and after taking ‘spiritual nourishment’ from his discussions, the 75-year-old is open to the idea of a reconciliation with Harry.
The publication reports that following a meeting between father and son in February after the news of the King’s cancer was revealed, relations ‘deteriorated’.
Just hours after the shock announcement was made to the world, the Duke dashed across the Atlantic back to the UK to see his father. But many were left puzzled when the pair only shared a 30-minute meeting at Clarence House before Charles took a helicopter to Sandringham without his youngest son.
Harry at St Paul’s Cathedral in London in May ( Image: Getty Images)
King Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis in February ( Image: Getty Images)
According to The Sun, the short meeting was down to a very important reason. The publication reported that after his diagnosis, ‘Covid-style tiers’ were put into place to limit his contact with people and to minimise the potential risk of him contracting any infections while undergoing treatment.
And with Harry flying 5,000 miles in a commercial airliner to see his father, the newspaper reports it was “not ideal” as the King had to “reduce his social contact”. After his diagnosis was revealed, Charles stayed away from public-facing duties for several months before easing himself back into his summer programme of events.
Later this year, he is set to travel to Australia and Samoa for a tour. A source close to the King told the paper: “The sun wasn’t shining in February but it is shining now.” However, since that meeting, Harry has not come face to face with his father despite them both being in London on the same day in May.
A source has now said of the King: “Faith has always been a part of Charles’s life and something he’s explored, but since becoming King it is playing a more central role. That reliance on faith and quiet contemplation has become a comfort and asset to him and helps him cope with the role as he adapts to being King.”
And of his beliefs aiding a possible reconciliation, they added: “Harry will always be Charles’s much-loved son. He has faith that Harry could return. He misses the bond they once had, and the door will always remain open to him and his family. He does not want years of discord and disharmony clouding his reign.”
Harry came to the UK to attend a service at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark 10 years of the Invictus Games but he did not meet his dad, with a statement suggesting the King was too busy to see him. But it was then reported that Charles had offered his son a room at Buckingham Palace for his trip to London, but Harry declined it and opted for a hotel.
Harry and Meghan Markle on their current tour of Colombia ( Image: Archewell Foundation via Getty I)
A source told The Times : “I don’t know what more the King could have done. He offered Harry to stay at Buckingham Palace but it seems even that wasn’t good enough. It was far from clear what the duke’s plans were. When it came to it there was no space in the King’s diary in between treatment and other scheduled events.”
Meanwhile, last month it was reported that father and son are no longer speaking with one long-running issue seeing their estrangement deepen. Harry has been embroiled in a long-running battle over his security when he comes to the UK after he automatically lost the right to his police protection when he stepped down as a working royal.
He has lost his subsequent court battles to have it reinstated for him, Meghan and their two children and is planning an appeal. According to PEOPLE magazine, Harry believes his dad could help to have this reinstated, although this has been dismissed as “wholly inaccurate” by a palace source.
And now a friend of Harry’s told the magazine: “He gets ‘unavailable right now’. His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too.” While another friend added: “Harry is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father,” while another source added: “Harry is determined to protect his own family at all costs.”
They added that the couple “didn’t feel they had a choice”. “The only option was to leave – for their sanity. I do think they thought if they got out of this bubble, there would be less focus on them,” the insider said.
